Unofficial news and tips about Google

November 8, 2007

Screenshots of Google Talk's Integration with AIM in Gmail

OK, maybe my speculation about the integration between Google Talk and other IM networks didn't have a strong foundation, but at least we know that Google Talk and AIM will interoperate in the near future. Here are some screenshots from a newer version of Gmail, still in testing (Gmail is one of the interfaces that can be used to access Google Talk):

Two years ago, when Google bought 5% of AOL, the agreement included "enabling Google Talk and AIM instant messaging users to communicate with each other, provided certain conditions are met".

100% you don't need a aim account. The same will be with the other IM protocols. This is gonna be great, i can't wait to get rid of jahoo (well, on ubunut/fedora~linux right now.. using pidgin, but the jahoo mail gets tons of spam... useless).

I'll definitely use this when it is out. I keep a Gmail page open so much I almost wouldn't miss a specialized client program, but if Gtalk (with or without audio) for Linux was available and could interop with AIM I'd do that in a minute.

Yes, it looks like a Jabber transport is being used. This is the easiest way for them to get it running, which is unfortunate, but given the way AIM's protocol works (it's VERY centered around screen names), the best way to go about it right now.

Google Talk's servers already support registering with and using foreign transports if you connect with a Jabber client such as Psi -- I'm already using it with AIM, MSN/Live, and Yahoo without issues, though via other people's server transports. This just brings the AIM transport in-house at Google for a better integration with Gmail and the standalone Google Talk.

As far as contacting mac.com and ICQ users, that should be supported if the transport is properly implemented. For ICQ, you would simply treat the ICQ UIN as if it were a screen name; for mac.com, you should be able to include the @mac.com (it might show up as %mac.com) in the screen name.

This probably explains why Google did not invest heavily in GTalk client programs. Rather than making another beautiful IM competing with other IM program at the same level, Google focus more on interoperability, then Goggle can use its muscle of aggregating data and searching.

what they should do is interconnect all the Instant messengers and then each make money over notification adsthen it becomes an issue of who has the better services that are NOT Instant messenger such as mail and meportals (the my.whatever.com pages)heck they could just say this is sponserd by NIKE (for example) and then just offer nike related pics and themes